Roof Rails

[ttr]

Morning all,

Any advice on cleaning / polishing the roof rails on the X5.

I am fairly confident they are powder coated ( stand to be corrected) tested a small area with black polish and its no improvements.

I am guessing if they are PC then its only wash and brush up so to speak as anything else will damage the finish, no use trying with trim reviver or other such products.

Any guidance would be appreciated

Cheers in advance.

[Horizon]

http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/t ... #msg117517
Found this, maybe of help

[ttr]

Horizon

Cheers mate, although i followed the link / thread my roof rails are a  satin colour, i think some are high gloss as an extra perhaps ?

I had the oxidation issues on the high gloss door pillars and window surrounds which i too cleaned up with G3, now all good.

The roof rails though are a different material completely.

[Smeeagain]

[quote="ttr"]
Horizon

Cheers mate, although i followed the link / thread my roof rails are a  satin colour, i think some are high gloss as an extra perhaps ?

I had the oxidation issues on the high gloss door pillars and window surrounds which i too cleaned up with G3, now all good.

The roof rails though are a different material completely.
[/quote]

There are many products in the G3 range, can you be more specific as to the one you used?
Smee

[ttr]

Smeeeagain,

Ehup!

I used :-

Farecla G3 PERMANENT Scratch Remover Paste

Worked really well on the high gloss finish, just take your time and I used an atomiser with water just to lube when I felt it needed it.

My high gloss black was really badly tarnished, looked like raindow effect on the surface if it makes sense and rough to touch.

A few hours with patience worked a treat, topped of with a good wax.

I'm not a detailer just used what I have with paint finishes from spraying my Robin Hood.

HTH

Cheers

[Smeeagain]

Perfect thanks, and gives me an excuse to buy anew product that I don't have 

[X5-D-Sport]

I use boot polish to shine & blacken mine up....
all the other cleaners & blackeners simply leave them pastey looking

[henrym3]

On the subject of blackening things what do people use to keep the plastic bits black/original looking. I've tried all sorts (back to black etc ) and never had a success I've been happy with.

[Murphybarnes]

I tried Auto Finesse Revive. Worked well but not that long lasting.

[ttr]

X5 d sport

Thanks for the tip, never used polish, every product I've tried thus far leaves them milky looking ( residual chemicals left after buffing) will try your tip - cheers

Henrym3

On plastics especially the trim pieces I can recommend carpro dlux, my XC70 trim was really badly greyed out, I applied the product as per instructions and it lasted a good year. ive just used it on the air vents on the bonnet ( ones with washer jets in) they were really grey, one application and black as night. Will be interesting to see if it services as well on the x5 as the Volvo.

Like you have used all sorts in the past but nothing lasts longer than a couple of weeks.

hope this helps.

Cheers all

[henrym3]

Wow, £37 for an unknown amount, looks like a very small amount, 30ml maybe. Thanks for the heads up, but I think I'll give X5-D-Sport's boot polish a go first, don't know why I didn't think of that, I polish my boots every day for work.

[snrbrtsn]

Autosmart Topaz

A highly rated gloss, whilst neither a polish, wax or sealant it works wonders on paintwork and bright work, is rubber & glass safe  easy on easy off with little to no dust
The only crisiticsm being there’s no fillers, however it’s not meant to mask anything!

Whilst it’s my go to product for bodywork, (I DA polish and wax also) I also use it on shadowline to remove stains, quite literally an amazing product with good longevity.

The product is so versatile, I replaced my post wash quick detailed spray with an application of Topaz.

[X5-D-Sport]

I use black boot polish on all the arch trims, plastic bits & rails / grilles etc... no milky finish & repels water & dirt too... its also good on tyres, as the motor-store tyre black attracts dust instantly.

Ensure you use PROPER wax polish & apply with a cotton cloth, not the Lazy-mans liquid black sponged sludge....

[ttr]

X5 d sport

Cheers for that, will give it a try on the rails, will be interesting to see the results when I finish

[Smeeagain]

[quote="henrym3"]
On the subject of blackening things what do people use to keep the plastic bits black/original looking. I've tried all sorts (back to black etc ) and never had a success I've been happy with.
[/quote]
There are two ways forward and Im referring to the various bits of plastic trim but not the roof rails which are a different material/coating and I just can't get the boot polish to take to them.

Gtechniq C4 permanent trim restorer. Expensive at circa £30 for a small amount off the top of my head BUT - if you follow the instructions and prep well you will get an outstanding result. I didnt it and the bumpers looked like new and lasted fully two years. I use gtechniq on my wheels (they have a range of products). all are expensive. All come in very small bottles and all are worth every penny. The glass cleaner/coater is phenomenal - I coat the glass every 12 months or so with it.

If you want to go down the zero expense route then take a hair dryer (or heat gun if you dare), to the bumpers. Look it up on youtube - basically it pulls the oil in the plastic to the surface and they go all dark and shiny. Never tried it myself but folk on the detailing forums swear by it. I play safe and go for gtechniq as it protects it as well as restoring. When I do my wheels I do the winter set before they go on the car. A full winter later they come off and wash the wheels thoroughly and the barrels, (inner edge of the wheels) look like brand new. Same with the summer set. If the pic loads ok it is of one of my sets, fully three years after they were refubred and they are still spotless thanks to gtechniq (and no I don't work for them, nor do I know anyone there, nor am I promoting them)

Smee